Thursday, January 30, 2014

In 1958 dolce vita improvised a striptease at a
restaurant, immortalized by Secchiaroli

ROME – She died last night at Aurelia Hospital in Rome,
the actress and dancer of the belly dance Aiche Nana from complications of a
disease from which she suffered for a long time.

Turkish, although in the biographies is a native of
Beirut, would have turned 78 in February. She was best known for the noise that
was made ​, in the years of the dolce vita, her impromptu striptease in a
mondanissimo restaurant in Trastevere, Rugantino, attended by Italian and
foreign celebrities of the time and immortalized by a service of the king of
the paparazzi Tazio Secchiaroli.

Italy was in black and white and that episode of 1958,
which saw her stay with simple lace panties wearing after a long sinuous dance,
was much discussed as to make it famous enough to deserve a mention in the film
“Dolce Vita” by Federico Fellini .

But it also had a trial in court for indecent exposure.
Moreover, the same story brought back to a battle in court against the
consummate fiction Life by paparazzi, who in 2008 went back on stage for the
episode that Channel 5 had marked her life, directed by Pier Francesco
Pingitore. The director was later acquitted little more than a month ago by the
Court of Anzio originates from defamation of character.

Gives news of his death her lawyer Joseph Torticollis,
which emphasizes that ''pain due to legal defeat has contributed to the
worsening of her condition.''

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

John Cacavas, composer of films such as Airport 1975,
Airport '77, Horror Express, and the TV series Kojak, passed away yesterday. In
addition to composing, Cacavas also served as a conductor with the London
Symphony Orchestra and the Beverly Hills Pops. He was also an author whose
works included his autobiography, Do-Re-Mi: My Life in Music, and a novel titled
A Song for Lynbidium. He was nominated twice for an Emmy.

John Cacavas divided his time between his homes in
Beverly Hills and London. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and their three
children.

Gordon Hessler passed away in his sleep January 19th at
the age of 83. An underrated horror director, Hessler cut his teeth on the
Hitchcock Presents TV show then helmed several genuinely creepy and atmospheric
British films. He worked with Vincent Price three times, all with scripts by
Christopher Wicking; SCREAM & SCREAM AGAIN (1970) was an outrageous sci-fi/horror
hybrid that presented a berserk view of swinging 60′s London (and also starred
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee). CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970) was gritty and
mean-spirited featuring Price as a sadistic monarch with an intense hatred of
witchcraft and a sardonic sense of macabre. THE OBLONG BOX (1969 – co-starring
Chris Lee) was a dark and moody tale of voodoo, body snatching, medical
experiments, brotherly betrayal, and being buried alive.

Hessler’s MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE was like a Vincent
Price movie without Price (it starred Herbert Lom and Jason Robards). It mixed
Poe with Phantom of the Opera and was an interesting take on Paris’ historic
Grand Guignol theater. One of his last films, GIRL IN A SWING (1988) was an
effective, low-key ghost story worth seeking out. Hessler directed Ray
Harryhausen’s GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD in 1973, a film that’s always lived in
the shadow of 7th VOYAGE as an inferior sequel but has aged well. It’s a
terrific fantasy film worthy of big screen reassessment (and was recently
released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time). No one could mistake his KISS MEETS THE
PHANTOM OF THE PARK for a good movie, but the 1978 TV movie plays like a
live-action Scooby-Doo episode and has a huge cult following. He also directed
two martial arts films in the late ‘80s starring Sho Kusugi, the best known
actor/martial artist during the 1980s ninja cinema craze: PRAY FOR DEATH
(1985), and RAGE OF HONOR (1987). RIP Mr. Hessler.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

An advocate for peace and civil rights, Pete Seeger
helped spark the folk music revival with his five-string banjo and songs
calling for justice.

Los Angeles Times

By Claudia Luther

January 27, 2014, 11:53 p.m.

Pete Seeger, the iconoclastic American singer, songwriter
and social activist who did battle with injustice in America armed with a
banjo, a guitar and the transformative power of song, has died. He was 94.

Seeger died Monday at New York Presbyterian Hospital, his
grandson Kitama Cahill-Jackson told the Associated Press.

A veteran of the labor, peace and civil rights movements,
Seeger remained relevant as an activist into his 90s. He was equally musician
and revolutionary, playing a major role in the folk music revival that began in
the late 1950s while helping to craft the soundtrack of 1960s protests through
such songs as "We Shall Overcome," "Where Have All the Flowers
Gone" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

"At some point, Pete Seeger decided he'd be a
walking, singing reminder of all of America's history," Bruce Springsteen
said at the all-star Madison Square Garden concert marking Seeger's 90th
birthday in 2009.

"He'd be a living archive of America's music and
conscience, a testament to the power of song and culture to nudge history
along, to push American events towards a more humane and justified ends,"
said Springsteen, who had performed Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your
Land" with Seeger at the Lincoln Memorial concert marking President
Obama's 2008 inauguration.

Gifted at connecting with audiences, Seeger called his
ability to inspire regular folks to sing along his "cultural guerrilla
tactic." "There's no such thing as a wrong note as long as you're
singing it," he told the 15,000-strong crowd at his birthday celebration.

Seeger's life of music and political activism could be
summed up in "The Hammer Song," the enduring anthem he wrote more
than 60 years ago with his good friend Lee Hays to support the

progressive
political movement in the U.S.:

If I had a hammer

I'd hammer in the morning

I'd hammer in the evening

All over this land/ I'd hammer out danger

I'd hammer out a warning

I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters

All over this land.

Popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary in the 1960s, the
song embodied the heart of Seeger: his musicality, his activism, his optimism
and his lifelong belief that songs could and should be used to build a sense of
community to make the world a better place.

"I'd really rather put songs on people's lips than
in their ears," he said.

Seeger inspired a generation of folk singers and
musicians that included the Kingston Trio and Joan Baez, who once said:
"We all owe our careers to Pete Seeger."

As a member of two influential folk groups, the Almanac
Singers and the Weavers, Seeger wrote or co-wrote "We Shall
Overcome," the anthem of the civil rights movement based on an early 20th
century gospel song; "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," which became an
anti-Vietnam War protest song; and another political anthem, "Turn! Turn!
Turn!," which turned to a passage from the Bible — "to everything
there is a season" — for the lyrics.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

1941 - 2014 Eric Lawson, former actor and Marlboro Man,
has died. He was 72 years old. Eric was a working actor whose career spanned
multiple decades but was cut short due to an accident sustained while filming
the movie "The Shooter." His last years were spent in retirement with
family and friends. He died of respiratory failure due to COPD at his home in
San Luis Obispo. Born in Glendale, CA during a blackout, Eric spent his
childhood in desert locales as his father worked in the gold mines. At an early
age, he began working in tunnel construction and moved to selling real estate
before his acting career took off. His credits include "Gymkata,"
"The Son of the Morning Star," "King Cobra," "Tall
Tales" and various television shows and commercials. He was particularly
proud of an NBC interview he gave regarding the negative effects of cigarette
smoking. Never one to sit idly by, Eric was an avid professional photographer
and enjoyed camping and metal detecting. He leaves behind a rich family legacy
and is survived by his wife, Susan Lawson; his children Scott Lawson, Sheri
(John) Mendon, Don (Heather) Lawson, Erica (Werner) Walian, Chanda (Sean) Brown
and Corey Lawson; eighteen grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. He is
also survived by his brothers Monte (Anita) Lawson and Mike (Mary) Lawson; and
many nieces and nephews. Sister in law Cheryl (Jason) Jennings and grandson
Todd Mendon preceded him in death. Services will be held 2pm on Friday, January
31st at the chapel for The Church On The Way, 14344 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA..

Saturday, January 25, 2014

January 9, 1925 - January 22, 2014 Pierre Jalbert,
Captain of the 1948 Canadian Olympic Ski Team, actor, film editor and ADR
specialist, passed away at age 89 in Los Angeles on January 22nd, following
complications from a recent heart attack. A native of Quebec City, he moved to
Los Angeles in 1952, and became a film and dialogue editor at Universal and
MGM. Credits include Blackboard Jungle, Bad Day at Black Rock, Ben Hur, Mutiny
on the Bounty, An American in Paris, Tea and Sympathy, Something of Value. In
1961, the agent of Pierre's wife Joy recommended he audition for the role of a
French-speaking WWII GI in the TV drama, "Combat!" Pierre played the
role of "Caje" from 1962-1967. He was also featured in The Richard
Petty Story, Ski Bum, Ski Lift to Death and Airport '79. Pierre then returned
to the cutting room and ADR booth at Paramount, and worked on Concorde,
Bloodline, Grease, The Godfather (including the famous baptism intercut
sequence at the end of the movie), and the miniseries Shogun - where he was
nominated for an Emmy for sound editing. Pierre excelled in home remodeling,
masonry, and artistic crafts, and enjoyed French history, Eastern philosophy,
fine wine and good conversation. Pierre is survived by his loving wife of 53
years, former actress and ballerina Joy Lee. Memorial service details are
pending.

Friday, January 24, 2014

One of the most popular actresses of the 1950s died at
her home. In 1956 she immigrated to West Germany. She was 84 years old.

Violetta Ferrari was born on April 25, 1930 in
Hódmezövásárhely, Hungary, to an Italian soldier who remained in Hungary after
World War I, but was raised in the capital city of Budapest. She began acting
by appearing in kindergarten plays and in the radio performing troupe Uncle
Siliga children's theater.

Later she trained at the Theatre and Film Academy, where
she excelled as a student participating in theater performances. After
graduating in 1949 she signed on with the National Theatre where she
participated in leading roles of classic and contemporary plays. She appeared
on the Hungarian stage in such plays as Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” and “Hamlet” other plays included “Ophelia” and “The Marriage of
Figaro”.

In 1956, Violetta and her husband Sandor Szabo fled the
country during the Russian Riots, for Germany where she created her second
acting career in German-speaking musicals, comedies and feature films. She
achieved biggest dream role with the leading female role in the stage play
“Caesar and Cleopatra”. Violetta Ferrari is the only Hungarian actress who in
recent decades had a real career abroad. She also lived in Austria and Italy.

In 1997, she moved back to Hungary. She was not visible
on the stage because of a panic disorder and her doctors barred her from
performing.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

He died yesterday January 21st in Rome due to a sudden cardiac
arrest, the Master Ubaldo Continiello, one of the most experienced musicians
and Italian composers of Italian genre cinema. He was born in Monteverde, in
the province of Avellino, in 1941.

He has worked with directors like Ruggero Deodato,
Lamberto Bava, and Mario Bava.

He started his film career in 1967 composing the music
for "Black Tigress" starring Lola Falana. He also socred six films for actor Franco Franchi starting with "Il gatto di Brooklyn aspirante detective in 1973.

In 1977 he scored his most important success of his career with the
film "Last Cannibal World", one of the first 'cannibal movies directed
by Deodato. After writing numerous hit songs including those of Tony Monaco, in
1980 he composed the soundtrack for the film by Lamberto Bava
"Macabre."

ROME - Beloved by generations of Italian directors from
Vittorio De Sica to Pupi Avati, adored by Quentin Tarantino which included some
of his songs on the soundtracks of "Inglorious Basterds" and
"Django Unchained." Music and cinema mourn the loss of the great Riz Ortolani,
wizards of film music, the author of the cult issues such as the
"Over", died in Rome this evening from the consequences of
bronchitis. Four score and seven years brought to the big, Riz, as everyone
called him, worked until the last, the author, among other things, the
soundtrack of A Marriage, the TV movie by Pupi Avati aired a few days ago shown
on RAI 1.

Born in Pesaro, the youngest of six brothers, Rizziero
Ortolani (his real name) had graduated in flute at age 19 and in his early
twenties had entered Rai as an arranger of radio orchestras. In 1954 he signed
his first radio show, "Occhio Magico" as a conductor. His work for
the cinema kicks off in the early 1960s with the soundtrack of a documentary,
"Mondo Cane", whose main theme, "More," sung by his wife
Katyna Ranieri earned him an Oscar nomination for best score in 1964.

Since then, there have been collaborations with American
studios (MGM, United Artists, Universal) and Italian with big-name directors,
as well as De Sica, Dino Risi, Franco Zeffirelli. Particularly a long and
fruitful artistic partnerships with Damiano Damiani and especially with Pupi
Avati with whom he made 25 films since 1980, virtually the entire production of
the director of Emilia, who now mourns him. "A life together - he says -
with him I learned how nice it is to follow a classic song with the score in
hand." Passionate and sophisticated connoisseur of jazz, as well as
symphonic and operatic music, a tireless worker, Ortolani leaves a huge
production of work.

Among his more than 300 scores, there are various themes
that have become cult, from 'Africa Addio ' to 'Brother Sun Sister Moon', up to
'The Octopus'. Not forgetting of course, the music written for Avati from ''Ma
quando arrivano le ragazze', 'Il papà di Giovanna', fino a 'Una sconfinata
giovinezza'. He was given many awards: 2 Golden Globes, 2 Oscar nominations, a
Grammy Award and five David di Donatello. A few months ago, in October, he
received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of the soundtrack
of Ghent," a beautiful evening - had commented with ANSA - Brussels
Symphony Orchestra has performed very well my music."

Beware of the young , along with his beloved wife Katyna
, with whom he has lived a life of fellowship and work so solid that it has
become proverbial (would celebrate in a few days 50 years of marriage) had
given birth to in 2007 in Pesaro Riz Ortolani Foundation to promote music
through scholarships, seminars, debates , concerts and exhibitions.
Hospitalized for surgery, he died from the consequences of bronchitis. He
leaves two sons, Enrico and Rizia. The funeral will be held in Rome, Saturday
at 15 in the Church of the Artists of the Piazza del Popolo.

Arrivederci, laughing Tramp: Fred Bertlemann was in the
fifties and sixties, one of the most successful German pop performers - the
singer and actor sold 40 million records. Now he has died at the age of 88
years.

Hamburg/Berg - His super hit landed Fred Bertlemann in
1957: Until today combine pop fans and contemporaries, his name titled
"The Laughing Rover".

"The song has made me rich and famous,"
Bertelmann once said in an interview. The disc sold five million copies. The
song was an integral part of his stage performances and made him films, records
and other musical performances in the United States possible. Other successful
titles were "In Hamburg sind die Nächte lang", "Arrivederci
Roma" und "Wenn es Nacht wird in Montana".

Bertelmann was one of the most successful German pop
artist in the fifties and sixties. Born in Duisburg, the singer last lived in
Berg am Starnberger See. He was married to the former television presenter and
actress Ruth Kappelsberger since 1966. In the course of his career Bertelsmann
sold more than 40 million records. Many of his tunes have become standards.

On the Internet, his fans have so far rather little
perception of his website. At 20.30 o’clock on Thursday evening Bertelsmann had
12 Facebook Likes, according to his official website. His last appearance was
as a singer, at a Mother 's Day Gala in Vienna's Stadthalle on May 12 2013.

The singer with the sonorous baritone had already learned
as a child to play several musical instruments. He attended the Nuremberg
Conservatory and the UFA drama school. At age nine, the son of a chemist,
appeared for the first time during on stage during a tour of the Nuremberg with
the church choir of St. Lawrence.

Decisive his formative experiences in the American
prisoner of war. There Bertel man learned the swing and the music of Glenn
Miller. "The Americans have given us music and musical instruments.
Imprisonment was forever the foundation of everything," Bertelmann once
said.

After the return from captivity Bertelmann started a band
and then performed as a singer with a Swedish orchestra. In order to finance
his vocal studies, he played Dixie and Swing music in Nuremberg bars.

On Wednesday Bertelmann died at the age of 88 years, said
his former manager and friend of the family, Michael Hilken, the news agency
dpa. He fell asleep and died peacefully at his residence.

The Latin Times
By Armando Tinoco
Jan 22 2014, 08:35PM EST
Luis Ávalos has passed away at the age of 67. His death was confirmed to Latin Times by Gabriel Reyes, a close friend of the artist. Ávalos who was born on Sept. 2, 1946 was best known for his work on the children's television show, "The Electric Company." The actor joined during the second season playing most notably Doctor Doolots, and lasted until the series ended in 1977. In the sketch comedy show, the thespian shared the screen with actors like Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Judy Graubart, Lee Chamberlin, Skip Hinnant and many more.

Ávalos' notable performance on the PBS program was during a time where Latino's were not heavily portrayed in mainstream media, making him one of the pioneers in the entertainment industry. After the show ended, Luis Ávalos went on to star in movies like "Hot Stuff," opposite Jerry Reed, Dom Deluise and Suzanne Pleschette. Following that movie, a series of guest spots on television shows like "The Jeffersons," "Highcliffe Manor," "Soap" and "Hill Street Blues" followed. Ávalos went on to star in sitcoms like "Condo," "E/R," and "I Had Three Wives."

Other television credits to Luis Ávalos' name include "Jack & Bobby," "Full House," "Resurrection Blvd.," "NYPD Blue," "ER," "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper," and "JAG." His film credits include "Jungle 2 Jungle" with Tim Allen and "The Ringer" with Johnny Knoxville. Avalos' last film credit is a movie titled "$5 A Day," which was released in 2008 and starred Christopher Walken, Alessandro Nivola, Amanda Peet and Sharon Stone. The legacy that Luis Avalos leaves in both film and television will never be forgotten as he provided us with countless hours of laughs and entertainment. Our thoughts go out to his family and finds during this difficult time, may he rest in peace.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

December 25, 1921 - January 15, 2014 Stan Tischler passed
away January 15, 2014 at the age of 92. An accomplished film editor and
producer, Stan won an Emmy and an Eddie award for his work on the hit
television series M*A*S*H. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
Services will be held Sunday, January 19 at 3pm, Mt. Sinai Memorial Park. In
lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the City of Hope.
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.".

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Marvin “Quail” Dobbs, one of
the most decorated rodeo clowns and beloved performers in the sport’s history
and an inductee in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, died at his home in Coahoma,
Texas, on Jan. 15. He was 72.

Dobbs began his career in rodeo by riding bulls and
bareback horses, and got into work as a barrelman by utter chance; the guy
hired to perform at the Buffalo, Minn., rodeo in 1962 failed to show and Dobbs
was pressed into service.

“I told (them), ‘Hey let me try that barrel, I’ve been a
clown all my life,’” Dobbs said in an interview with the Abilene Reporter-News
last November. “At least that’s what my teachers in high school said.”

That was the start of what would become a 36-year career
in which Dobbs would be named PRCA Clown of the Year twice (1978 and 1988) and
the Coors Man in the Can four times (1985-86, 1990 and 1993).

He is one of only three men to work as both a bullfighter
(1972) and barrelman (1978, 1985 and 1988) at the National Finals Rodeo and
also worked seven times as a barrelman for the Wrangler Bullfight Tour Finale.

Quail Dobbs played the “Woodlake Clown” in the 1971
feature film J.W. Coop, which starred Cliff Robertson, but drew on rodeo
personalities like Dobbs, Larry Mahan, Myrtis Dightman and Dennis Reiners to
lend authenticity to the endeavor.

“I set some goals,” Dobbs told the Reporter-News. “I
wanted to go to the National Finals as a bullfighter and I did. I wanted to go
to the National Finals as a barrelman and I did, so I fulfilled my dream.”

In addition to his induction into the ProRodeo Hall of
Fame in Colorado Springs in 2002 – joining a class that included Joe Beaver,
Clyde Vamvoras and Gary Leffew – he was enshrined in the Texas Cowboy Hall of
Fame the following year and the Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2004.

Dobbs was a longtime favorite at the Cheyenne (Wyo.)
Frontier Days, working that rodeo 28 times, and the 1998 Daddy of ’em All
marked Dobbs'' last appearance in professional rodeo.

After his retirement, Dobbs became a Howard County
(Texas) Justice of the Peace in 1999, and held the position in Coahoma until
2013, when poor health caused him to step down.

Dobbs held a Kindergarten Rodeo at the elementary school
in Coahoma for 35 years, which he always oversaw in full rodeo clown makeup.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Judy, and their
two children, Stephanie and Coley.

Services are set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19 at the
Trinity Baptist Church in Big Spring, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be
made to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, 101 Pro Rodeo Drive, Colorado Springs,
CO 80919, or to Trent's Retreat, in honor of Dobbs’ nephew who died of cancer
at the age of 15. Trent's Retreat address is 1015 FM 2887, Ballinger, Texas,
76821 and the organization can be reached at www.trentsretreat.org or
325.365.2103.

The Tony-nominated star also appeared on TV’s “Star Trek”
and “The Twilight Zone” and in the films “The Long, Hot Summer” and Dave.”

British actress Sarah Marshall, a Tony-nominated veteran
who later appeared in memorable episodes of TV’s Star Trek and The Twilight
Zone, has died. She was 80.

Marshall died Saturday in Los Angeles following a long
battle with cancer, her daughter-in-law, Trixie Flynn, said.

Marshall was the daughter of noted British actors Herbert
Marshall (The Letter, Foreign Correspondent) and Edna Best (The Man Who Knew
Too Much, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir).

She made her feature film debut opposite Paul Newman and
Joanne Woodward in the adaptation of William Faulkner’s The Long, Hot Summer
(1958), but her most notable work came on Broadway.

Marshall toured nationally with Alfred Lunt and Lynn
Fontanne and received a best supporting actress Tony Award nomination for
playing Rusty Mayerling in Goodbye, Charlie and a New York Drama Critics Award
for her work as Bonnie Dee Ponder in The Ponder Heart, both of which opened in
1959.

Born in London on May 25, 1933, Marshall also appeared on
Broadway in Dream Girl (1951), Idiot’s Delight (1951), Charley’s Aunt (1953)
and The World of Suzie Wong (1958).

In Jane (1952), directed by Cyril Ritchard, she worked
opposite her mother, and in Come Blow Your Horn (1961), she met actor Karl
Held, her future husband of 50 years. He survives her.

Ritchard also cast her in Gore Vidal’s A Visit to a Small
Planet (1957), and she retained a life-long friendship with the writer as a
result.

In 1972, Marshall and Held moved to London, where she
appeared in A.R. Gurney’s Children with Constance Cummings, Applause with
Lauren Bacall and Neil Simon’s The Gingerbread Lady with Elaine Stritch. Also
while abroad, she worked in the CBS telefilm The Bunker with Anthony Hopkins
(as Hitler), Michael Kitchen, Julian Fellowes and Held.

In the 1962 Twilight Zone episode “Little Girl Lost,”
Marshall played the mother of an unseen girl who disappears behind her bedroom
wall into a fourth dimension. And in the 1967 Star Trek installment “The Deadly
Years,” Marshall portrayed Dr. Janet Wallace, a former love interest of Captain
Kirk (William Shatner) who helps cure an illness that rapidly ages its victims.

Marshall also appeared on such TV series as Alfred
Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, Daniel Boone, Get Smart, F
Troop and Ironside and in such films as Embassy (1972), Dave (1993) and
Dangerous Minds (1995).

For more than 20 years, Marshall and Held served on the
Western Council of the Actors Fund of America.

Marshall also was married to three-time Oscar-nominated
set decorator and regular Woody Allen collaborator Mel Bourne from 1952-57.

In addition to Flynn and Held, Marshall is survived by
son Timothy, grandchildren Seamus, Sarah, Timothy and Eliza and half-sister
Ann.

Hal Sutherland, who began his career as a Disney animator
in 1954, and gained industry recognition in the 1960s as co-founder and
animation director at Filmation Associates, has passed away according to a
notice on the Filmation Facebook page.

Sutherland joined Disney during a ramp-up in production
on Sleeping Beauty (1959), working mainly on the Prince's horse, Samson. After
a lay-off, Sutherland hooked up with Lou Scheimer while working on Bozo The
Clown TV cartoons for Larry Harmon.

Sutherland and Scheimer teamed up with former disc jockey
Norm Prescott to form Filmation Associates in 1962 - and they began working on
a feature Journey Back To Oz (which was ultimately completed and released in
1974). Filmation exploded in the late 1960s, becoming a powerhouse TV animation
studio with pre-sold properties like Superman, Aquaman, The Archies, Sabrina
The Teenage Witch, Fat Albert and Star Trek.

Sutherland went into semi-retirement in 1974, moving to
Washington state to focus on fine-art painting. As a consultant to Filmation,
Sutherland last directed the theatrical feature film Pinocchio And The Emperor
Of The Night in 1987.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Russell Johnson, who played The Professor on
"Gilligan's Island," dies at age 89

Fox News

January 16, 2014

Johnson's agent told Fox News that the actor passed away
at his home in Washington State on Thursday morning of natural causes, with his
wife and daughter by his side.

Johnson's co-star Dawn Wells, who played Mary Anne on the
show, posted on her Facebook page: "My 2 favorite people are now gone. The
professor past (sic) away this morning. My heart is broken."

"Russell was a true gentleman, a good father, a
great friend, and 'the rest,'" Wells wrote.

Wells and Tina Louise, who played Ginger, are the show's
last two surviving cast members.

Johnson starred on "Gilligan's Island," a
classic TV comedy about a mismatched set of castaways stranded on a deserted
island, from 1964 to 1967.

His character, high school science teacher Roy Hinkley,
built generators and other gadgets out of scraps of junk found on the island.
Johnson later joked that the one thing The Professor never figured out how to
do was to fix the leaky boat so the group could get back to civilization.

Johnson started out in westerns and sci-fi movies,
including "It Came From Outer Space." After "Gilligan's
Island" he worked regularly with small parts on television.

Dave Madden, beloved star of the classic television
series ‘The Partridge Family,’ has passed away at the age of 83. Madden played
the role of the family’s oft put-upon band manager Reuben Kincaid, who often
was annoyed by the shenanigans of young Danny, played by former child star
Danny Bonaduce. Madden was also the star of the ’70s show ‘Laugh-In.’

Madden’s former agent confirmed his passing to TMZ and
told the site that the ailing actor passed away in Florida, where he lived with
his wife, after a long struggle with illness.

Aside from his role on ‘The Partridge Family,’ alongside
fellow stars like Danny Bonaduce, Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, Madden made
guest appearances on classic shows, such as ‘Bewitched,’ ‘The Love Boat,’
‘Happy Days’ and ‘Fantasy Island.’

He had a recurring role on the series ‘Alice’ as one of
the customers at Mel’s diner and as Tommy’s basketball coach, and in later
years he appeared on ‘The New Leave It to Beaver,’ ‘Boy Meets World,’ ‘The Ben
Stiller Show’ and ‘Married … with Children.’ His last appearance was in an
episode of ‘Sabrina, the Teenage Witch’ as Dr. Hans Egglehoffer in 1998.

Roger Lloyd-Pack, who played Trigger in Only Fools And Horses, has died aged 69, his agent said.

Lloyd-Pack was born into an acting family in north London and his father Charles was a regular in Hammer horror films. Although best-known for playing the dim road-sweeper in Only Fools And Horses, Lloyd-Pack appeared in dozens of films and TV shows including a regular role as farmer Owen Newitt in The Vicar Of Dibley.

Father Ted creator Graham Linehan was among those paying tribute online. He said: “Very sad news about Roger Lloyd Pack. Trigger was an ancestor to Father Dougal and I’m glad I once had a chance to tell him so.”

Lloyd-Pack was also a successful stage actor, appearing regularly at Shakespeare’s Globe in central London, but knew he would always be best known as

Trigger. In a 2012 interview with the Guardian, he said: “People will never stop shouting ‘Trigger!’ at me in the street. The other day I jumped some lights on my bike because someone was hollering at me. A police van pulled me over, and when I stopped they also shouted: ‘Trigger!’. It can be very annoying.”

He was also politically active and a prominent campaigner for left-wing causes in the capital.

Lloyd-Pack’s daughter Emily shot to fame in the 1987 film Wish You Were Here before stepping back from the celebrity limelight after struggling with health issues.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

He also headed production at Warner Bros. and MGM, worked
as an agent at MCA and the forerunner of ICM and founded The Artists Agency.

Richard Shepherd, who produced the Blake Edwards classic
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, served as head of production at MGM and Warner Bros.
and then founded the Artists Agency, has died. He was 86.

Shepherd died Tuesday night at his home in Los Angeles
after a long illness, his wife Patricia told The Hollywood Reporter. Survivors
also include a son, TV producer-writer Scott Shepherd (Equalizer, Miami Vice,
The Dead Zone).

During his six-decade career in the entertainment
industry, Shepherd also produced The Hanging Tree (1959), starring Gary Cooper
in one of his final films and George C. Scott in his first; Sidney Lumet’s The
Fugitive Kind (1960), with Marlon Brando and Joanne Woodward; and Richard
Lester’s Robin and Marian (1976), starring Tiffany’s star Audrey Hepburn and
Sean Connery.

Shepherd started out as an independent film producer and,
working with Martin Jurow, did Hanging Tree, Fugitive Kind, Love in a Goldfish
Bowl (1961) starring Fabian and then Tiffany’s, their final collaboration.

When Paramount’s head of production wanted the song “Moon
River” replaced, “Marty and I both said, ‘Over our dead bodies,’ Shepherd
recalled in an audio commentary for an anniversary DVD edition of Tiffany’s.

The Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer tune, of course, won the
Oscar for best song in 1962.

“It’s a very tough industry, and the stakes are very
high,” Shepherd told The New York Times in 1977 when he was at MGM. “You rely
on your gut feeling; I think the first requisite is that you have to have a
story in which there is someone the audience can care about, somebody they want
to root for.

“They pay ballplayers a lot of money for hitting .333;
I’d pay anybody a lot of money if they could be right 33.3 percent of the time
in this business.”

Shepherd later founded The Artists Agency and represented
a myriad of stars over the years, including Marilyn Monroe, Rex Harrison and
Richard Harris.

Born June 4, 1927, in Kansas City, Mo., Shepherd attended
Stanford in the 1940s and excelled on the golf team. He was hired by MCA legend
Lew Wasserman right out of college and became an agent for the company in the
Midwest.

After a stint in the U.S. Army -- where he covered
stories for Stars and Stripes in occupied Germany after World War II – Shepherd
went back to work for MCA in New York, then turned to producing with Jurow.

In the '60s, Shepherd returned to the agency world as one
of the first partners at CMA, which quickly became the most powerful agency in
the world with a client roster that boasted Paul Newman, Barbara Streisand,
Bill Cosby and others. He stayed at CMA (which eventually became ICM) for
nearly a decade.

In 1970, Shepherd was named head of production at Warner
Bros., where he oversaw such blockbusters as The Exorcist (1973) and The Towering
Inferno (1974). For the Robin Hood-Maid Marian romance Robin and Marian, he
lured Hepburn back to acting after a decade away.

Shepherd then took the reins at MGM in 1976, developed a
slate of films that included The Champ (1979), Fame (1980), Clash of the Titans
(1981) and Shoot the Moon (1982).

Upon leaving MGM, he produced the erotic vampire tale The
Hunger (1983), director Tony Scott’s first feature, starring Catherine Deneuve,
Susan Sarandon and David Bowie, and the Tom Hanks-John Candy comedy Volunteers
(1985).

Shepherd then spent two decades as a partner at The
Artists Agency, where he represented numerous actors and screenwriters well
into his 70s.

Richard and Patricia were married for 34 years and had a
son, Christopher. His former wife was Judith Goetz, who was producer-executive
William Goetz’s daughter and Louis B. Mayer’s granddaughter; together, they had
children Scott, Tony (the former head of casting for Spelling Prods. who now
produces shows for the Disney theme park in Florida) and Victoria. Survivors
also include his grandchildren Barrett and Hunter.

A memorial will be announced by the family. In lieu of
flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Motion and
Television Picture House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.

Monday, January 13, 2014

He played several characters on the classic Jackie
Gleason sitcom and later authority figures in such films as "Madame
X" and "Madigan" and on TV's "Hogan's Heroes."

Frank Marth, a veteran character actor and member of
Jackie Gleason's stock company on The Honeymooners, died Sunday of congestive
heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease in Rancho Mirage, Calif., a family friend
told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 91.

Often cast as authority figures, Marth appeared on scores
of TV shows and in many films during his more than 50 years in show business.
He played a detective in Madame X (1966) opposite Lana Turner, a police
lieutenant working with Richard Widmark in Madigan (1968), an Air Force man in
the Gregory Peck film Marooned (1969) and a Nazi officer on the sitcom Hogan's
Heroes.

The tall and slender Marth, though, is probably best
remembered for his assortment of background roles on The Honeymooners, which
starred Gleason and Audrey Meadows as Ralph and Alice Kramden and Art Carney as
their upstairs neighbor, Ed Norton.

Marth played Harvey Wohlstetter, who hires Alice to
babysit his son, Harvey Jr., as Ralph jumps to conclusions and thinks his wife
is having an affair. He was one of the hoods who holds the Kramdens and Norton
hostage after Ralph witnesses a bank robbery; the newsman who gets Ralph in
trouble at home after he quotes the bus driver in the paper boasting that he's
the "head of the household;" and the off-screen narrator of Norton's
favorite TV show, Captain Video. Other "classic 39" episodes had him
as Ralph's co-worker or pool-room buddy.

Before and after The Honeymooners in the mid-1950s, Marth
worked with Gleason on the comedian's variety shows Cavalcade of Stars and
American Scene Magazine, the latter beamed from Miami Beach, Fla.

In Meadows' 1994 book Love, Alice: My Life as a
Honeymooner, Marth noted that Gleason always called him Francis. On the show,
"I always felt like I was going to a party, instead of work," he
recalled. "It was such a blast."

Born and raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of
Manhattan, Marth began his career on the stage and made his first TV appearance
in 1949 on the series Mama.

Marth later appeared on such primetime shows as The
Fugitive, Combat! The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The
Wild Wild West, The Big Valley, Mission: Impossible, The F.B.I., Cannon,
M*A*S*H,The Streets of San Francisco,
Quincy M.E., Dirty Dozen: The Series and Airwolf; on the soap operas From These
Roots and The Young and the Restless; and in the 1976 telefilm The Lindbergh
Kidnapping Case.

He portrayed an escaped murderer in Fright (1956) and was
in such other films as Pendulum (1969), The Lost Man (1969), Telefon (1977) and
Loving Deadly (1994), his final credit.

Survivors include his wife of 45 years, actress Hope
Holiday, who shared a memorable night of self-pity (and quite a few drinks)
with Jack Lemmon on Christmas Eve in Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960).

Sunday, January 12, 2014

The actress Alexandra Bastedo, sci-fi Champion who turned
champion of the animal world, has lost her battle against cancer.

Theatre director Roger Redfarn, a close friend to both
Alexandra and to her husband, former Chichester Festival Theatre artistic
director, the late Patrick Garland, confirmed she passed away on Sunday.

For many years the couple lived just south of Chichester
at Almodington before moving to West Chiltington. Mr Garland’s death last April
was followed by a star-studded memorial service in Chichester Cathedral last
September, organised by friends including Simon Callow.

Alexandra Bastedo, who was 67, enjoyed huge success on
screen and on stage and also as a vital support to husband Patrick during his
years at the CFT.

But showbusiness was never her first choice of career, as
she liked to recall.

As a child, Bastedo was desperate to become a vet and
spent all her spare time at the local veterinary surgery, helping to clean out.
And then the movies called.

“I was discovered by Columbia Pictures at the age of 16
and sent to Hollywood to make a horror film called The Candy Web.”

On returning to this country, she continued to act,
refusing to go to university and landing a part instead in the cult sci-fi TV
series The Champions which ran for 30 episodes, broadcast on ITV in the UK from
1968–1969.

Starring Hove-born Alexandra as Sharron Macready
alongside Stuart Damon as Craig Stirling and William Gaunt as Richard Barrett,
it told of three agents for a United Nations law enforcement organisation who
gain super powers after a plane crash.

Alexandra recalled that it totally changed her life:
“Apart from becoming a household name in England, Scotland and Wales, I became
an international star, particularly in Spain and South America where they
called me La Bastedo.”

Back in England she married Patrick Garland, artistic
director at the CFT from 1981-1984 before

returning for a second stint
(1991-1994).

The couple bought a 16th-century farmhouse at Almodington
with a Sussex barn and three acres: “And it was there that I was able to fulfil
my dream of rescuing animals,” she recalled.

Alexandra wrote a successful volume of autobiography,
Beware Dobermans, Donkeys and Ducks, recalling some of the outrageous and
endearing adventures she enjoyed with her expanding menagerie.

In more recent years, the couple moved to West
Chiltington where the animal sanctuary continues as the Alexandra Bastedo
Champions Animal Sanctuary, with the aim “to rescue abandoned animals and
animals in distress and provide them with care and protection”. As recently as
early December, she was tweeting on animal protection issues.

After many years of ill-health, Mr Garland died in
Worthing hospital last April at the age of 78. Alexandra was also ill at the
time, but last autumn friends were confident that she had rallied and that her
health was improving.

Among those to pay tribute on her passing was actress
Liza Goddard who tweeted: “My dear friend Alexandra Bastedo died today. A
beautiful person who will be greatly missed.”

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Carter Camp, a onetime activist with the American Indian
Movement who was a leader in the Wounded Knee occupation in South Dakota, has
died in Oklahoma. He was 72.

Camp's sister, Casey Camp-Horinek, said Thursday he died
Dec. 27 surrounded by family in White Eagle, Okla. Camp-Horinek said her
brother had been suffering from cancer for the past year. Services for Camp
were held Tuesday.

Camp, a member of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, was a
member of the American Indian Movement, organizing more than 30 chapters in his
home state of Oklahoma, Camp-Horinek said. The American Indian Movement was
founded in the late 1960s to protest the U.S. government's treatment of Native
Americans and demand that the government honor its treaties with Indian tribes.

He had a leading role in the Trail of Broken Treaties in
1972, in which a caravan of Native American activists drove across the country
to Washington, D.C., to protest treaties between tribes and the federal
government. They took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs for several days.

The following year, Carter headed to South Dakota with
other AIM leaders, including Russell Means and Dennis Banks. There they
organized the Wounded Knee uprising, a 71-day siege that included several
gunbattles with federal officers. Means died in 2012 at age 72.

"He was the only person in (a) leadership position
in Wounded Knee who never left Wounded Knee, not to go out and do press
junkets, not to go and sit in a hotel for a while. None of that. He was a war leader
there. He stayed inside with his warriors," Camp-Horinek said of her
brother.

While several people in leadership roles went on trial
for events that took place at Wounded Knee, Camp was the only one to ever serve
time. He spent two years in prison in Leavenworth, Kan., for assaulting a
postal inspector, a charge Camp-Horinkek disputes. Camp later left the organization.

In recent years, Camp's focus turned to the Keystone XL
pipeline, which he bitterly opposed. Once completed, the contested pipeline
would carry tar sands oil from Canada down the midsection of the country and
into Texas.

Though Camp was notified nearly a year ago that he had
only a few months to live due to the cancer that had metastasized into his
lungs, kidney and liver, Camp-Horinek said her brother's strength of spirit
allowed him to take part in a sun dance, a sacred religious ceremony, in South
Dakota last summer.

Camp will be remembered as a warrior, a spiritual leader
and a kind family man, Camp-Horinkek, 65, said.

"As a sister, what I remember is kindness, a big
brother who sat on the porch and read the Sunday papers ... who made popcorn
and fudge and had an arm around my shoulders — in the physical sense and the
other sense of always being there for me," she said.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Dead tonight Lorella De Luca, the actress who conquered
the audience in interpreting Marisa Poor but beautiful. She was born in
Florence on September 17, 1940.

She started her career in 1955 with Federico Fellini 's “Il
bidone”. Then the followed with another film in the saga directed by Dino Risi
which led to her success by that character.With extraordinary grace and simplicity she emerged as one of the most
popular young actresses of Italian comedy. In 1957 she appeared in “Padri e
figli” by Mario Monicelli. In three years she turned out 23 films, from “Domenica
è sempre domenica” directed by Camillo Mastrocinque to “Primo amore” by Mario
Camerini, “L'ultima violenza” by Raffaello Matarazzo. The with Dino Risi, “Poveri
ma belli”, and “Belle ma povere” (1957) and the “Poveri milionari” (1959 ),
chapters of an Italy fresco painted with realistic light, a country overwhelmed
by the difficulties of post-war and raised by the good intentions of revenge.
In 1958 she had a television movie ‘Musichiere” by Mario Riva, one of the most
popular transmissions of the Rai era.

In the early '60s she began working less. In 1965 he met
the director Duccio Tessari, who later married her. And in the second half of
that decade she appeared under the pseudonym of Hally Hammond in some films
directed by her husband, starting with “A Pistol for Ringo” and “The Return of
Ringo” .

After an absence of 25 years, in 1983 she returned to the
big screen in the work “Vito Zagarrio, Bonus Malus” with Claudio Bisio,
Pieraccioni Leonardo, Massimo Ceccherini. It was her last film, partly because
of a serious illness that had afflicted her since 1994. In September of that
year her husband died.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Serbian actress Danica Acimac died of natural causes on June 11, 2009 in Belgrade. Born in Belgrade on December 29, 1928 as Danica Pomorišac she became a TV actress starting in 1959 and appeared in a number of television series until 1976 when she retired from show business.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Producer Ted Richmond, who produced more than 60 movies
from the 1940s through the 1970s including 1973 thriller Papillon, died in
Paris on Dec. 23. He was 103.

Richmond is pictured in the center at the 1969 presentation of the "Orden de Isabel la Católica" medal of honor to him for his contributions to the Spanish film industry.

The 1973 hit Papillon,starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, was one
of Richmond’s most
successful films.

For 40 years, working for Columbia Pictures and then
Universal Intl., he produced movies in a variety of genres. There were Westerns
such as The Cimarron Kid,starring
Audie Murphy, and Return of the Seven,as well as comedies such as Francis Joins the WACS,starring Donald O'Connor.
Richmond was also an uncredited producer on the Elvis Presley pic It Happened
at the World’s
Fair.

In the 1950s he partnered with his close friend Tyrone
Power to form Copa Prods. The company’s
first movie, Count Three and Pray,introduced Joanne Woodward to films. In 1959, during the filming of Solomon
and Sheba,Richmond
was devastated when Power, who was playing Solomon, suffered a fatal heart
attack. Yul Brynner ultimately played the part opposite Gina Lollobrigida.

Born in New Bedford, Mass., Richmond first worked in the
movie business as an usher at a local theater. In 1939 he wrote the screen
story for Six Gun Rhythm and Trigger Pals.In 1941, he produced his first movie, South of
Panama.(In his
early films he was credited as T.H. Richmond.)

He spent the past 30 years in Paris with his wife, Asuko.
Richmond is also survived by four nieces and one nephew in the U.S.

Dennis Johnson, a TV programming exec and producer who
was among the first African-Americans to rise through the Big Three network
ranks, died December 23 while on vacation in St. Barts. He was 68.

A Virginia native and graduate of Temple U., Johnson had
a nearly 20-year run at Showtime. He got his start as an NBC page working on The Tonight Show in 1969. He advanced
through several posts in the Peacock's
comedy development department before moving to ABC as VP of programming in
1975.

In 1978, Johnson joined the Osmond familys production shingle,
Osmond Television. He held a variety of posts there and at other production
companies until he joined Showtime in 1984 as director of current programming
for the pay cabler and its Movie Channel sibling.

While at Showtime, he established a program for black
filmmakers and served as president of the National Assn. of Minorities in
Cable. He rose to senior VP of programming during his long run at the cabler,
which ended in 2002.

Johnson segued into producing movies, telepics and
specials including 2002 Keep the Faith,
Baby and the 2008
feature Hope and
Redemption: The Lena Baker Story
starring Tichina Arnold. He was exec producer on the concert special From the Heart: The
Four Tops 50th
Anniversary Celebration.

After his retirement, Johnson was an active volunteer at
Hollywood's First
Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. He also volunteered through the Sherry
Lansing Foundation as a mentor for minority high school students in the Los
Angeles Unified School District.

Johnson’s survivors include his partner of 27 years,
veteran publicist Russ Patrick, and a sister.

About Me

Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1946 I have a BA degree in American History from Cal St. Northridge. I've been researching the American West and western films since the early 1980s and visiting filming sites in Spain and the U.S.A. Elected a member of the Spaghetti Western Hall of Fame 2010.